The Power of Invitation

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Matthew 4:19-22

Matthew 4:19-22

An invitation is a powerful thing. Call to mind the beginning of any relationship. How did it start? You were invited, and you responded.

Why did a man like Peter leave everything and follow Jesus? In Luke 5, we glean a little more insight into this invitation. The crowd was pressing in on Jesus, and so He got into Peter’s boat and asked him to put out a little from the short. Jesus began to teach, and Peter had a front row seat. I can imagine how the words of the Master Teacher impacted His closest listener. After teaching, Jesus provided for a miraculous catch of fish. And then came the invitation. This recipe of instruction, miracle, and request all carried weight on Peter’s heart. And that influence led to a response.

Numerous times in my life have I experienced an invitation from God. Sometimes these come in subtle forms, other times much more evident. In all instances, my response is prompted in some similar ways. The prompting began with God’s Word, seeing God move in some way, and an invitation to join in the work He was doing. That combination, as you see with Peter in the passage above, is the power of an invitation.